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| - Generally a very good mall. Aesthetically pleasing, clean, modern. Excellent location, not far from the Glenbow, the C-Train, Chinatown, the Bow Building, the Epcor Centre, the Calgary Tower, and 17th. The Devonian Gardens are a delight (even if lacking a bit compared to the old Devonian Gardens). Has quite a few great retail options: high-end stores like Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew, mid-range like Banana Republic and Gap, and a decent H&M for the bargain conscious, as well as smaller boutiques. The food court is surprisingly not bad (I had my first food court udon that was actually properly seasoned at Bento Sushi) and the higher end restaurant options are very good. I always find the service in shops here particularly friendly without being invasive, which I appreciate.
Of course, there are negatives as well. There are now two of those "overly aggressive, vaguely foreign salespeople try to get you to drop hundreds of dollars on scented vaseline" shops, and whenever I'm in that part of the mall, I always walk over to the other side because I have better things to do with my life, and you do too, and so do those awful salespeople, for that matter. The mall often closes quite early, which I generally wouldn't have a problem with, but the Shoppers Drug Mart, accessible from outside, closes at the same time as the rest of the mall, often at 5 or 6 PM. Terribly inconvenient.
Tips:
If you're looking to shop in the Club Monaco sale section, skip out on The Core, and head over to Chinook, where the selection is much better.
The Sephora here has a limited selection and seems understaffed. Instead, go to the newly renovated Sephora at Market Mall, by far the best location in Calgary.
Monplaisir macarons are subpar. Head over to Yann Haute Patisserie, just off of 4th, or Manuel Latruwe, near the Talisman Centre instead.
Absolutely research the mall hours before going to the pharmacy.
Avoid visiting weekdays during lunch. The entire working population of Downtown Calgary swarms the Core in search of food. Don't be a casualty to other people's hanger. (Otherwise, it's actually a pretty relaxing mall)
Park in the Holt Renfrew parking lot. It's the nicest, and it's often free.
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